


Enough Apologies To Fill a Lifetime or Two

by RetroFreak1



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good Loki (Marvel), Kid Loki (Marvel), Loki & Peter Parker Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Past Character Death, Swearing, bringing some comic lore in mcu, everyone aside from loki who died in EG is still dead, loki just wants to say sorry you guys, loosely based on comics, no ships cause this boy is a child!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:42:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29491503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RetroFreak1/pseuds/RetroFreak1
Summary: Loki wakes up in New Asgard to find out that he has been reincarnated in a way. Due to the cycle of Ragnarok, he, just like all other Asgardians have a certain number of times that they can come back to life. He is now spawned as a child, around 10 years old, and has a chance to live life over again. Seeing how his last life went and not wanting to be tied down by his previous persona, he decided to be like his big brother Thor and chooses to protect the world instead of destroying it. Talking of his brother, how will Thor react to seeing his brother in this new form?Concept based off of kid Loki in the comics, like in Young Avengers. If Loki hadn't died, I'd like to think he would have done this anyway. First marvel fic btw. Fluff and angst
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Loki, Brunnhilde | Valkyrie & Loki (Marvel), Clint Barton & Loki, James "Bucky" Barnes & Loki, Loki & Avengers Team, Loki & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Loki & Peter Parker, Loki & Sam Wilson, Loki & Stephen Strange, Loki & Thor (Marvel), Scott Lang & Loki
Comments: 14
Kudos: 53





	1. The Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this chapter can kinda be seen as a prologue. I hope I do Loki justice as he is my favourite character and I just want my boy to be happy! Please leave a comment. Constructive criticism is welcome.

When Loki woke up, he felt different. He was in a strange place, a rural village overlooking the sea. Why was he here? Wasn’t he dead, the last thing he remembered, Thanos had his fist around his neck with his brother restrained. His Brother! Where was his brother?! When he looked around for answers, that is when he realised what was different. He was shorter, considerably so, and was wearing something akin to a green toga. Was this a dream? Is this what lies between life and death? Is that why his brother was nearby. Looking up, he saw a familiar figure walking towards him, smiling. Valkyrie! He ran as fast as he could, almost tackling her in a hug.

“Hey Loki. Haven’t seen you in a while. I think you’re the last one to arrive. Leave it to you to be fashionably late.” She laughed, crouching down on her knees to reciprocate the hug.  
“Valkyrie! Where am I? What happened? Where is my brother?” he panicked, tears streaming down his eyes. He was surprised by how much higher his voice was and how easy it was for him to succumb to tears. He wasn’t this much of a crybaby since he was just a boy.  
“Woah, woah, little man. Come with me. I will explain everything. You probably want a change of clothes. That toga thing looks weird on you. Not something that fits your fashion. I don’t know why everyone comes down wearing them, but whatever.”

Loki wanted to ask more questions, but he couldn’t get them to escape his mouth. So instead he wiped his eyes and followed Valkyrie down to a cottage, one closest to the cliff. As they walked, he was so confused. He recognised many asgardians. Wasn’t Asgard destroyed? But then again, last thing he remembered, he was on a ship, ready to set up a new home. Was this the new settling place for his people? If so, where was Thor? He sniffled at the thought of his brother. Once inside the cottage, Valkyrie threw some clothes at the small trickster and said she would explain everything once he was changed. The clothes he changed into were black jeans, a plain green v-neck and a black zip-up hoodie. Not his style but at least Valkyrie knew his favoured colour palette. 

“Yeah, not a suit, I know, but how you look right now, you don’t need it. This looks good on you. You kinda look like your brother. Speaking of your bro, I guess you wanna know where he siis.” Loki nodded. He and Loki sat on a sofa in the cottage’s small living room and she started to explain.  
“So, let me start from the beginning. After Thanos, y’know, killed you, he blew the ship up. Luckily, me and all the surviving asgardians managed to escape on the grandmaster’s ship. We made New Asgard here Wow, that feels like ages ago now. Anyway, Thor told me, while in space, a crew picked him up. Called themselves the guardians of the galaxy. Sounds like a bunch of a-holes to me. With their help, he managed to get a new weapon. An axe. Stormbreaker, he called it. Really cool looking thing. While this was happening, Thanos was collecting the other infinity stones. Thor went to earth, where the last infinity stone was and helped the avengers fight them. They didn’t win and Thanos completed his goal. He killed half of all life in the universe.”

When she looked over at Loki, she realised she messed up. He was currently panicking, tears streaming down his face, his eyes wide.  
“Oh, shit. Sorry Loki. Don’t worry, your brother wasn’t one of them. I’ll explain what happened to your brother in a bit, and he’s okay by the way. I just need to fill you in on what you missed first.”  
Loki wiped his eyes and nodded, looking back up at Valkyrie.  
“Okay, so 5 years past. Thor was not doing good. He got really depressed, put on some weight. If you were around, you would have been so agitated with him. However, Bruce came over one day, said that they could bring everyone back. The avengers figured out time-travel. So long story short, they got all the infinity stones from the past and reversed the snap. They had to do that since Thanos destroyed the stones. Thor killed him, don’t worry. But then past Thanos sent his daughter, Nebula, I think her name was, to replace present Nebula and brought him to the present. A big battle ensued and Tony sacrificed himself to destroy Thanos by using the gauntlet. The world was saved.” She seemed quite happy with her story-telling skills, although she was obviously not telling him everything that happened. It would have taken her all day.

"How long has it been, since the events you described?" Loki asked  
"I would say 5 years, give or take." She replied

“So what about my brother? If he is alive and well, why isn’t he here, in New Asgard?” Loki asked, hints of panic still in his voice.  
“Well, he decided he didn’t want to be king so he left with the guardians lot to explore the galaxy. He left me to rule New Asgard. Although, with you around, I might have to look out for any signs of being overthrown.” She joked, elbowing him softly in the side.

“Don’t worry. I’ve lost my taste for power. After seeing Thanos on that ship, I don’t want to become that.” He said solemnly. “I’m glad Thor is happy and safe. However, why am I like this? Why am I small? I should be your height, Valkyrie.” He said, confused, looking at his hands.

“Oh, that’s easy to explain. I don’t blame you or Thor for forgetting. He probably still doesn’t know as he left before the first one came back. It can take a while. You are Asgardian, Loki. Just like every other citizen of Asgard, you are bound to the cycle of Ragnarok. When you die, you can come back a certain number of times. You are not just small, Loki. You are a child. I would say around 10 years old. It has been 10 years since your death so I guess that makes sense. It seems your soul was waiting until the time was just right for your return. There is no more peril and the dust has settled. You have been given a new lease of life.” When Valkyrie told this to Loki, something inside him seemed to snap.  
“No! That isn’t fair. What of Odin, my father, and Frigga, my mother. Or the comrades you fought alongside with against my sister? Why do I get to live a new life and they don’t!” He was standing now, fists clenched and angry tears streaming down his face.

“Loki, come here.” Valkyrie responded softly, paying no mind to the outburst, opening her arms wide. Loki hesitantly made his way to her before leaning into the embrace.  
“Why! Why me?” he said through his tears.  
“I’m sorry Loki. Your mother and father had already used all the cycles available to them. Their positions and their enemies meant they were never truly safe from threat. When you saw them die, that was their last life. My comrades can’t come back as they were killed by Hela. She was Goddess of Death. Being slain by her hands means they were not permitted into the ragnarok cycle but instead added to her undead army. Everyone else is back, though, even Heimdall. Sadly, he is too young to work the bifrost and so you have to wait a while before you can teleport anywhere.” she chuckled. Loki’s temper had died down and now he was just taking comfort in Valkyrie’s warm embrace.

“What do I do now?” He asked, looking up at her.  
“You have another chance at life, Loki. You can use it how you like.”  
They stayed like that for a while, taking comfort in this bond now forged between them. Loki couldn’t believe it. He was a child again. He had a whole new life ahead of him. In his last moments, he had called himself Odinson and that was the name he was going to keep in this life. His hatred for his brother, his feelings of inadequacy with his father. All of that was gone, stripped away by his sister and Thanos. He had been forcibly humbled, and despite being a child again, he was now wiser. He wasn’t going to let this life go to waste like his previous. He was tired of being an agent of chaos, always trying to get the upper hand. No, he was going to be good. He was going to be like Thor. He had a new kingdom to protect and he was going to make sure that it and the planet it resided on would stay safe. For him to do that though, he needed to make allies. He needed to humble himself even more. At that moment, he decided he was going to take the jump and go to the group of people he hadn’t seen since he was trying to take over the world. He would apologise and pray they forgave him as this was the only way he could make up for his previous sins. He was going to use this new life to help the avengers.


	2. Impending Doom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making his way to the Avengers, Loki meets a mysterious man who graciously decides to help him. However, is this man as kind as he seems?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this character was originally meant to be a cameo, as my brother wanted him in the story. However, I think he might actually be important to the plot, and hopefully, will come back later on.

After a few weeks of being at New Asgard, Loki was ready to embark on his journey. He was going to find the Avengers, apologise for what he did in his previous life and maybe, just maybe, they would accept him and allow him to help in defending the earth, just as his big brother did. When had he gotten so sentimental? Must come with the territory, he thought. In the few weeks he was at New Asgard, he realised there were a few changes to his powers, probably reflecting his previous life. He and Valkyrie had spent a day finding out what powers had changed with her being his test dummy (willingly might I add). He could still shape shift, but he could no longer make himself look like someone else. When he tried to become Valkyrie, she said that he just turned into a female 10yr old Loki. So that means he could only turn into different versions of himself. This restriction was probably penance for his crimes of impersonation in his previous life. He found that some of his powers were more advanced, however. Before, he could read memories, like he did to Valkyrie in Sakaar. This time, however, when he went to read a memory of Valkyrie’s choice, he found he could let his magic flow through his palms and rise, creating a moving image with the swirls of his green, sparkly mist, showing the memory accurately, as Valkyrie had judged. 

Once he got all his powers in order, figured out what he was going to do, he packed a bag and went to say goodbye to Valkyrie.  
“Are you sure this is what you want, Loki? I mean, you could always stay here in New Asgard.” She offered as they walked along the village, Loki dragging a suitcase beside him, Valkyrie ready to see him off.  
“I’m sure, Val. The Asgardians have too many memories of my past self ingrained in their minds and I know that they will always fear my rising against them. What I need is a new start. Something different. I want to make Thor proud of his little brother.” He said, smiling looking up at her, his hand in hers.  
“If you are sure. If these avengers are like anything Thor has described, then I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. They’ll learn to trust you, just as I have. If you want, I can still offer you a ride in the grandmaster’s ship. You are only 10 by the way.” She said, chuckling, but a hint of concern in her eyes.  
“No, it’s fine. I’ve got to do this on my own. And, well, I’m too small to fly the ship. I mean, what’s wrong with a 10 year old travelling the world to go on a journey. I’m sure others have done it.” He joked. “I am a skilled sorcerer. I can find my way to the avengers. From the news channel on that box you showed me, they appear to be living in a military compound now, rather than a tower. I’m sure I can find it.”

He had conjured a map in front of him, and after pulling up the coordinates on a small device that Val had called a “smart phone” he pinpointed the area on the map.  
“See, I already know where I’m going. I just have to hope they’ll let me in.” He joked.  
“My little boy is growing up so fast.” Valkyrie said, imitating a proud mother and wiping a mock tear from her eye, before crouching down and putting a hand on Loki’s shoulder.  
“Seriously, though. Be careful out there. If anything happens, send me a little magic sign and I’ll come running. A queen has to protect her civilians.”   
Loki then brushed her hand off him before jumping into a hug, his head on her shoulder.  
“Thank you, Valkyrie, for everything.” He said, a single tear running down his cheek.  
They slowly relinquished the embrace and Valkyrie stood up again, smiling fondly at the the little god in front of her.  
“Well, then, what are you still doing here? Scram.” she giggled. Loki gave her a small nod and started walking, both of them waving to each other until he was out of sight. She was really gonna miss the little man.

It was going to be a long journey for little Loki. (However, I know that’s not what you guys came here to read so I’ll give you a little summary of what happened). He had all the clothes he needed with him and Valkyrie gave him what is equivalent to $500 dollars, which, thanks to a little bit of magic, he could change into whatever form of currency he needed. He used it to buy food, wash his clothes at laundrettes. Not wanting to have to pay for hotels, Loki mostly camped out. He was starting to get worried that he wouldn’t have enough money to go across the border, when he came upon Latveria. He was becoming dangerously low on money. If this was old Loki, he would just steal whatever he needed, or wanted. This Loki, however, wanted to prove to himself that he didn’t need to rely on trickery, otherwise he would never be trusted by the avengers. This is when a certain monarch of the country realised that an asgardian was walking through his Kingdom. How curious. He had to investigate at once.

One morning, Loki heard a lot of commotion outside his tent. Thanks to allspeak (a gift all asgardians had) he understood what they were saying. In Latvarian, they were basically chanting. “Doom is arriving! Our Glorious Doom is arriving!” This made Loki panic as what was happening? Why was there impending doom in this little area he was in. Little did he know that is not what the citizens meant. Before he could go out to look, someone had ripped the entry to his tent clean off and pulled him out, albeit somewhat gently. Holding on to his arm stood a tall figure wearing a green cloak, waving gently in the wind. The man appeared to be wearing a suit of armour. That or he was made of metal. On his face, there was a metal mask, concealing the features within. Loki could not tell what the man was thinking as the mask concealed any hints of emotion. Was this the doom the citizens were talking about? Seeing the boy panic, the tall figure spoke.

“Be not afraid, young asgardian, as you have received the honour of being within the presence of Dr Victor Von Doom. Come my child. We have plenty to discuss.” Before Loki had a chance to argue, the man had picked the small god up and started flying (flying?) to gods know where. The next thing Loki knew, they were approaching a palace. This day is just getting weirder and weirder, he thought. Who was this man and why did he want Loki. Not only that, how did he know that he was asgardian. However, Loki could sense a magical presence within the man. Was he a sorcerer of some type? Once they arrived at the palace, the strange man led the young boy to the Throne Room. Once he sat down, and ushered in a seat for Loki, gesturing the boy to sit down as well, the man began to speak.

“Hello, young Asgardian. Welcome to the Castle of Doom, named after me, Victor von Doom. I have bought you here as it seemed odd for a young asgardian to be walking through my Kingdom of Latveria. Why are you on earth and not your natural realm of asgard?” He asked, his voice booming through the room despite the man not raising his voice. When Loki did not respond, just looking down at his feet, afraid to answer, the man continued. “Do not be afraid, boy, as Dr Doom means you no harm. You are no threat to me so why would I harm you. Seeing you in my Kingdom, all you have been doing is trying to travel. I may assist you if you like.” He said, learning towards the boy. This is when Loki sat up.

“Oh no sir. There is no need. I am only here as I am trying to make my way to the avengers compound. You see, I am trying to repent for sins of my past life. You may have heard of me. I am Loki, the God of Mischief, although I am trying to distance myself from that title. And Asgard is no more. It was destroyed, so I have come from New Asgard. All I want is to help the avengers. I can make it there on my own. It was kind of you to offer your assistance but I’m afraid I do not wish to burden you.” Loki wasn’t sure why he was telling this complete stranger so much. Must have been the trusting child instinct. The man, after hearing this, was extremely surprised, not that he let it show as Doom is never surprised. He is merely made aware of new facts. Thoughts were circling through his mind. If he helped this boy claiming to be Loki to his destination, he could find out where New Asgard was, all it would take is a quick global search, nothing beyond doom. From there, he could study the asgardians, maybe even figure out how to use the OdinForce. He wouldn’t attack, at least, not yet. Doom is merciful before anything else. If these asgardians posed no threat, he would leave them be, although he would still observe. This boy was an amazing chance for Doom.

“Don’t worry, my child. I am the monarch of the country you currently reside in. Please, at least stay the night and in the morning, I will send one of my subjects to escort you to New York. I will not drop you off at the compound itself, despite knowing its location, as it is entirely possible that the avengers may mistake my glorious kingly figure as a threat and that would not serve you at all. This way, all Doom is doing is assisting you across the ocean. Wouldn’t a gracious child accept what I am offering them?”   
Loki thought about it a while. This monarch did seem incredibly benevolent if his citizens were any indication, and he did need to cross the ocean, and how rude would it be to reject a King’s offering, so he timidly nodded his head, causing Doom to suddenly stand.  
“Terrific!” He nearly said Fantastic, but he would not let those words escape his lips, not since that was the adjective he used to describe himself, making the word itself disgusting.  
“I will call someone to show you your room, you will be called down to dinner today, and after breakfast tomorrow, you will be on your way!” And with that, Doom left.

He did keep to his promise. The next day, after a lovely breakfast, Loki was ushered to a private plane, one of the attendants carrying his bag, and was on his way. The plane had Doom’s masked face on the side, which Loki thought was overkill, but hey, he was the king of the country and this was his plane. By the afternoon, he was in New York, following his map to the compound. Little did he know that there was someone there who would not be happy to see him. Someone, who since New York, had a special arrow in his quiver just for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Dr Doom. I hope I did him justice. Loki gave him all the information he needs. What will he do with the information now? Also, yeah, get ready for Loki angst with the other characters pretty soon.


	3. The meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki finally makes it to the compound. However, not everyone is happy to see him. Swearing in this one as well as mentions of past deaths. If those are triggers, stay safe and don't read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, 2 chapters in one day, I'm on a roll! I know these chapters aren't long but still, I'm proud of myself

Loki was pretty tired by the time he got to the compound. Thanks to Doom, he no longer had a tent, so he had been walking all day. Hopefully, the avengers would at least let him rest somewhere. However, as soon as he stepped on Avengers territory, a man wearing metal wings was flying over, arm in a fist directed straight at Loki.  
“Identify yourself.” He said, before taking in the appearance at what was in front of him. It was a young boy with short, raven black hair. He was wearing trainers, grey jeans and a blue hoodie. His eyes were a bright emerald green. The boy was stammering, not being able to answer the question he was just asked. He was so stupid. As soon as he said who he was, they would turn him away. If he lied, he would just be doing what he swore he wouldn’t: lie and deceive. Why did he come here?  
Seeing the panic on the boy’s face, the winged man talked into his com. “Yeah, guys, it’s a kid. What do I do?”  
Before he could hear the answer, the boy suddenly spoke up. He suddenly remembered why he was here. He needed to be honest.  
“LOKI! I, um, I’m Loki. You, uh, you may not r-recognise me. I, uh, I’ve kinda gone through a c-change, but p-please, hear me out.” He was shaking right now. Why was he scared? He could take this man. No, he wouldn’t fight this man. What would Thor think. If this was an avenger, he would need to talk to him. Before either of them could continue talking, an arrow came out of nowhere, going through Loki’s hood and pinning him to the ground. Next thing he knew, a familiar face was in front of him. Soon, there were many other people behind him, all the remaining avengers, sans Dr Strange and Wanda. The group was currently having a training day and catch-up when the trickster arrived.

“HOW! HOW!” Clint screamed, his bow loaded and aimed directly at the young boy’s face. “ANSWER ME!” His anger was coming off him in waves and if Loki was shaking before, he was out right trembling now.  
“Y-you s-see, I’m a-asgardian, uh, so, um t-that means I-I can k-kinda r-reincarnate i-in a way. I-I didn’t realise w-when I d-d-d, y’know.” He was able to say the word. “S-so t-t-ten years l-later, I kinda just popped” He made a motion with his hands. “A-although, I-I m-m-m-mean you n-no ill will. I-I-I have c-come to a-a-apologise.” Tears were streaming down his face at this point, his eyes wide. He found he couldn’t talk without stuttering. Some of the avengers looked upon him with pity, mainly Bucky and Peter. Clint, however, was not convinced. He grabbed him by the front of his hoodie, not caring to dislodge the arrow, causing his hood to rip. 

“BULLSHIT!” Clint screamed in his face! “Don’t try to trick us! You’ve been in my head once. I won’t let you get in there again! There is no way you are actually a kid! That is impossible! This must be a trick! Don't think us dumb!”  
“T-t-take m-me a-as y-your p-p-p-prisoner i-if t-t-that w-w-would h-h-help. A-a-a-all I a-ask i-is a c-chance t-to explain. A-after t-that, d-d-do w-with m-me what you w-wish.” He sobbed, small hands around Clint’s muscular one. Clint dropped him in discuss.  
“Clint, let’s think about it. It’s been 10 years. I was there when he died, I don’t think he’s lying. I mean look at him.” Said a calm voice behind the archer. When Loki saw who had come to his aid, however, he immediately scrambled back in fear. It was the Hulk, but, unbeknownst to Loki, now had Bruce’s mind. Just seeing the figure that had crushed him in New York made him petrified. Out of true fear, he raised his hands over his face.  
“Please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry for taking the tesseract. I won’t try to trick you again just please don’t hurt me.” he said, almost too quickly for anyone to hear, but he was desperate.

This was when Bucky spoke up. “Hey, you guys gave me a chance, despite everything I did, and if Loki did fake his death again, why would he come back now, 10 years later, with nothing to gain. I think he’s telling the truth. Heck, we could just fly over to New Asgard and prove whether his claim is correct. He’s even offering to be a prisoner.”  
“Yeah, bird brain. We can put the scary little boy in handcuffs if that would make you feel better.” Scott mocked, chuckling. Loki was still quivering on the floor throughout all of this. Looking around and seeing everyone was against him, Clint let out a huff.  
“Fine, we can bring him in, but I’m not happy about it. Sam, get a line through to New Asgard, I want to see if this little guy is telling the truth.” And with that, they brought him in, Bucky holding the small god in his arms.

Bucky had gotten Valkyrie’s number from Loki (all asgardians had smart phones now) and spoke to her on speaker, so all the avengers could hear. Loki was sitting between Bucky and Peter, wrists in handcuffs. The voice that came through was undoubtedly Valkyrie.  
“Hey guys. What’s the occasion. Has the little man gotten there alright?” her jovial voice spoke.  
“Yeah, Loki’s here.” replied Sam. “May I ask why is he here?”  
“What? Didn’t he tell you? He wants to help you guys.” She replied.  
“May I ask how he is here? Both Bruce and Thor said that he died.” Sam questioned.  
“Oh, he did.” she replied nonchalantly. “Us asgardians can reincarnate. We call it the cycle of Ragnarok. Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t immortal. We can only do it a certain number of times. That’s why his parents are still dead. But good old Loki, he came back. Took him forever though, 10 years I think. That’s why he’s 10. Spawned that way.”  
“Okay, so why does he want to help us?” Sam questioned.  
“Well, you see, on Sakaar, him and his brother had a real bonding moment. On the way back, Loki tried to protect Thor, and, well, y’know what happened. After seeing what power did to Thanos, well, wouldn’t you want to change your ways if given another chance. I know I would. If you don’t believe what I’m saying, Loki can prove it. He can project memories now. It’s hella cool. Anyway, is that all you wanted me for?” She asked, Loki could hear the smirk in her voice.  
“Yes, thank you Valkyrie.” Sam replied.  
“Oh, before I go, send a message to Thor, will ya. I bet he’d love to know about his brother.” And with that, she hung up. Loki visibly lightened up with the mention of his brother.

Everyone was left in silence. Both Bucky and Scott were smirking at each other while Clint seemed near boiling point.  
"So he is actually 10. Wow." Rhodey said to himself, just about grasping the situation. “Bullshit!” Clint screamed, turning to Loki, wiping the smile of the boy’s face.  
“WHY! Why do you of all people get to live when Vision, when Tony, when NAT had to die! It’s not fair!” At hearing this, Loki lowered his head.  
“I know.” is all he said. Clint was not expecting that and momentarily, his anger vanished, before coming back with a vengeance.  
“No. No. You do not get to do this right now. After everything you have done, after everything that has happened, you do not get to walk in and be the bigger man. I don’t want you here so get your little bag and go!” 

Loki looked up at Clint, anger on every feature of his face, and then looked back down, curling in on himself and started crying. “Oh, look what you’ve done. You’ve upset him now. You feel better? You just made a 10-year-old cry.” Bucky said, picking Loki up and sitting him on his lap. Before the whole winter soldier business, when he was just a guy from Brooklyn, Bucky had always been good with kids. Clint couldn’t think of anything to say, so the room was silent for a moment, the only sound being Loki’s quiet sobs as Bucky stroked the kid’s back. It was Peter who cut through the silence.

“Y’know, Mr Barton, if you don’t mind me saying. That Val woman did say that Loki could project memories. He could show us what happened to him, show us how he came back. That way, we know he’s being genuine and prove that Val woman wasn’t lying. I, um, I could be an example. I could think of a memory he wouldn’t know. If he can project it, then we know that his own memory would be true as well.” Loki looked up at that, sniffling still but having a hopeful look in his eye.  
“I personally think it’s a good idea. The kid’s on to something.” Rhodey added. Everyone else, apart from Clint, obviously, was nodding. Seeing he was outnumbered yet again, he sighed, again.  
“Alright, alright. I’ll give him a chance. But I want to make sure he’s not deceiving us. We need an expert in magic, to show that it is truly genuine, to make sure the memory he shows of himself is not fabricated. Sam, get Strange on the line.” 

Before Sam even had a chance to pick up the phone again, an orange circle of sparks appeared in the middle of the room. Out from it, walked Strange, the portal closing behind him.  
“You called?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky is such a nice dude, isn't he? BTW, I know cap isn't technically dead but he's like super old so he's not part of the avengers anymore. Sorry cap fans, but he's not in the story.


	4. A Trip Down Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki proves he can be trusted by showing his memories to the group. What will they make of this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, another chapter. If you guys are wondering why projecting memories is different from his normal illusions, I will put an explanation in the notes at the end, for anyone who is interested. With that out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy

After Strange arrived, everyone moved to the conference room. The avengers were about to explain what was going on but he said there was no need. He had been observing Loki since his reincarnation and was just waiting to be called upon. Once Loki had settled down, he timidly walked up to Strange before they started.  
“So, um, Dr Strange?” He mumbled, pulling on said sorcerer’s robe. Strange looked down at the small boy beside him with one eyebrow raised, as if asking “Yes, what is it?”  
“Back, when I last saw you, sorry for calling you a second-rate sorcerer. I, well, I was kinda intimidated and threatened. I really shouldn’t be. I like magic but you are sorcerer supreme for a reason.” Dr Strange smiled at this weird apology coming from the boy. Looking at how this boy was acting, he had no issue believing he had a change of heart. The old Loki would never apologise to someone. He was too prideful for that.

Clint stood in the corner of the room, refusing to talk to anyone until the whole debacle was over. Loki went up to Peter, who was sitting down on a chair, keeping him eye level with the small god, and put a hand on his shoulder.  
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Loki asked.  
“Yeah, yeah. This way we can see you’re not lying. Do it to me first and then we can believe you.” Peter smiled. He closed his eyes, ready for Loki to do his thing.  
“Okay. I’m going to put my hand on your forehead now. Just relax and put the memory you want to remember at the front of your mind.” He said, as he put a small hand on Peter’s head. Peter nodded in response.  
“Good. Now keep it there. In a sec, I'm going to take my hand off. Keep thinking about it.” Again, Peter nodded in response. As Loki put his hand off, a green, sparkly missed connected his hand to Peter’s head. Loki took the mist between both hands before throwing it above them.  
“You can open your eyes now, Peter.” Loki said. When Peter opened his eyes, he couldn’t believe what they were showing him.

The mist had taken the form of 3 people: a woman, a man and a young boy no older than Loki. The boy and the man looked as if they were playing catch while the woman seemed to be laughing here head off. Everyone was gazing at the beauty of the magic. The memory seemed innocent enough, but when Loki looked back over to Peter, he was crying. He dropped what he was doing, causing the magic to disperse, and put both his hands on Peter’s shoulders.  
“Oh my. Did I hurt you Peter? Why are you crying? The spell isn’t meant to hurt.” His face was lined with worry. Clint was about to storm over to Loki in anger at hurting Peter, but Strange put a hand in front of him stopping Clint from moving foreward. When Clint looked at Strange, all the magician did was shake his head.

“Don’t worry, Loki. You didn’t hurt me.” Peter sniffled, smiling at the boy. “It’s just, that was my Uncle Ben. Seeing that happy memory in front of me, it just got me emotional, is all. I’m fine.” He put a hand on Loki’s head and scruffed his hair a bit, showing he was fine. Loki nodded and turned to Strange.  
“Was there any issue with the spell? Do you see any trickery I might have caused.” Loki asked.  
“I did not. That spell was conducted as it should have been. You may continue.” Strange answered. Clint huffed when he heard the words.  
Before Loki started, he turned and addressed everyone in the room.  
“None of you have any reason to trust me. To prove you can trust me, I will lay my soul bare in front of you. You will see my version of events, and see what led up to my reincarnation. I will then show you all the memories I have in my new life up to this point. If you want me to stop at any time, I will.” The serious tone seemed weird coming out of the child’s mouth, but everyone nodded as Loki closed his eyes and put a hand to his own forehead. He did the same as with Peter and soon, the room was filled with magic.

The Avengers saw a lot in that swirling mist. Of course, they saw all the misdeeds that Loki had committed, proving the boy wasn’t sugar coating everything. That is not all the saw, however. They saw the anguish Loki felt when he found out he was Jotun. They saw him falling into the abyss and being caught by Thanos. They saw the mental abuse inflicted by the Chitauri. They saw the mind stone increasing the anger and pain in Loki’s mind. They saw the fear when Loki had lost in New York. They saw the isolation in his Asgardian cell. They saw his grief when his mother had died. They saw the mellowing of his anger when his father passed. They saw the fear his sister instilled in him. They saw the man risking his life to save the asgardians. They saw the man give up his life to save his brother. They saw the image of his rebirth and saw his decision to leave. They saw how hard Loki was trying not to steal on his journey here. And they saw the fear the Avengers had caused him when he arrived. Everyone was shocked by what they had seen. No one had a word to say when the magic dissipated and Loki sat down in exhaustion. That kid had been through a lot. No wonder Loki was such a sour puss before. Anyone would be after that. And watching Thanos basically snapping his neck. Having to remember your own death, it was a miracle this boy could cope carrying around such a memory.

It was Strange who broke the silence. “I see no trickery in the boy’s magic. What he has shown us, the memories laid out, they are true. There were no illusions. The boy is telling the truth.”  
“I, uh, I can see why you would have a change of heart after all that. I mean, if I got given another chance of life, I would want to make it count as well.” Rhodey spoke up.

Huffing, Loki stood back up and spoke: “That is not all. You have seen my memories so you know my motive, but you have also seen my past crimes. I need to say this now otherwise I might never say it.” He then went on all fours and bowed his head down, a universal sign of complete submission. “I am truly sorry for everything I have done. I am sorry I sided with Thanos. I am sorry I put all your lives in danger. I am sorry I stole the tesseract and put Thor in danger. I am sorry for all the crimes I have committed.” He then raised his head, so that he was now kneeling and put his arms out in front of him, as if he was expecting handcuffs. “Now that I have used my magic to prove my truth, I will willingly allow you, via Dr Stephen Strange, to restrict my magic. Therefore, you have no reason to fear me or fear that I will ever commit those acts again.” 

That was when Clint broke. Seeing the person who had invaded his mind, seeing the person who had caused so much heartache turn around and suddenly became a good person. It was too much for him. It didn’t matter if the kid was sorry, why did he have a chance to come back when so many didn’t. Didn’t Tony or Nat deserve this chance more! “GODDAMMIT!” He cried before storming out of the room.  
“I’ll, uh, I’ll go after him.” Bruce announced before following the Archer’s trail.

“Don’t worry about it kid.” Bucky said as he walked over to Loki, Strange following behind him, “He just gets like that sometimes. I know how you feel though. I did some awful stuff too. But if they gave me a chance, then I’m sure they’ll give you a chance.” He said before walking out as well.  
Everyone seemed at odds with what to do now. He had proven himself changed. What now?   
“I recall Loki asking me to restrict his magic. Leave us. I will attend to it promptly.” Strange announced, picking up the small boy in his arms.   
“Sam,” He started, turning to said avenger, “I want you to make a call. I’m sure you know who too.” With that, everyone but Strange and Loki walked out. Keeping the child in his arms, who now seemed to be falling asleep after exerting himself so much, Strange whispered an incantation, one hand motioning circles above the boy’s face. There was a small aura surrounding the boy before it seemingly dissolved into his skin. Now his work was done and not knowing what to do with a sleeping child, he awkwardly left the room and followed the others.  
“Hey, guys? The kid’s asleep. Can someone take him, please?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so illusions are just showing people whatever you like. They are made for trickery and to conceal. You are basically imprinting your imagination over what is there. Memories, however, are not made for trickery and thus require a different spell entirely. You are not trying to deceive anyone and so it does not change the world around you, instead, it basically comes out as a stream of mist, like a river of memories inside your brain. To add to this, due to Loki's trickery in his past life, his illusions are much weaker. He used to be able to change everything around him, but due to his illusion magic being weaker, even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to fabricate the surroundings the memory takes place in. If you have any more questions, please leave them in the comments.


	5. What's the Difference Between Him and Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint says something he probably shouldn't have and Peter thinks a new wardrobe is in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets kinda heavy. Peter calls Clint out on some stuff so there are mentions of past deaths and past killings. If that is a trigger for you, don't read.

Bucky had taken Loki off of Strange, allowing the man to leave since his work was done. Not knowing where else to put hum, Bucky placed him in one of the spare bedrooms at the compound. He then went to join the others in the living room. Despite the building being a compound, when Tony remodeled, it was as if he knew people would be living here and so made it as homely as he could. Sam hadn’t made the phone call yet. Everyone was just sitting on the sofas, not saying a word to each other, the most tense of them being Clint.

“I, uh, put the kid to bed. He’s in bedroom #16. He looked very tired so he’ll probably be asleep for a while.” Bucky said as he sat down.  
“We’re calling him the kid now?” Clint responded agitated.  
“Okay, Mr Trickshot, what is your problem with the kid? We know he’s not lying now. All he’s asking is for a second chance. Is it that bad giving it to him?” Scott spat back, having enough of Clint’s attitude.  
“Oh, the little boy cried a little and is oh so sorry for what he did.” Clint replied sarcastically. “Well guess what, apologies aren’t good enough.” 

“Hey Clint, where is this anger coming from? Even in New York, the memories made it clear he was coerced into it, the mind stone was affecting him just as it did you. Since New York, he hasn’t even looked in your direction. What is there to be angry about?” Bruce asked softly. Clint stood up at this.  
“Oh, I don’t know! What about agreeing to work for Thanos in the first place? What about killing all the people he did? Apologies don't bring them back! They don’t bring Nat back. If he really wanted to help us, he would have stayed dead!” Anger was rolling off of him in waves. He looked like he was one bad word away from punching the person next to him. Peter, however, had grown in the 5 years since Tony’s death, and he was taking none of this. It was his turn to stand up.

“With all due respect, Mr Barton, how many people have you, Bucky or Nat killed? Loki’s actions came from a place of deep hurt. You were just killing who you were paid to, each of you did. At least he had some sense of morality in his actions before he decided to change. And look, we gave you all a chance, let you change your ways. I don’t see how you are any different to Loki.” Clint was about to say something but Peter beat him to it. “Uh uh uh, I’m not finished. You are not hating on him because of what he’s done, at least, not mostly. No, you are just angry that he is the one who got a second chance. I don’t know if you know this but he didn’t come back consciously. It was something that until recently, he wasn’t even aware of. Feel bad about it all you want, but right now, Loki has the mind of a 10-year-old but the memories and trauma of someone over 1,500 years old. Can you even comprehend that amount of pain? No? I didn’t think so, so swallow your pride, buck the hell up and at least try to be a considerate human being. If a 10-year-old Loki can do it, so can you.” And with that, Peter sat back down.

Everyone was left in silence until, awkwardly, Scott put his hand up and said: “Uh, yeah, Ditto.”

It was a few hours later and everyone had calmed down. Sam and Bucky were in the middle of making dinner in the kitchen (it is connected to the living room as all good kitchens are). While cutting the vegetables, Sam called out to the rest of the Avengers in the living room.  
“Hey, uh, when are we meant to be calling Thor. I can contact him easy enough as we have a communication signal to his ship, but when should we do it.”   
“I’d say after dinner. It’s not urgent as Loki is safe and all that, although we should probably tell him about the whole, y’know, being a kid thing. I have no idea how he’ll react though.” Rhodey answered, not looking up from his phone.

“How who will react?” suddenly came Loki’s voice. He was standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes, signifying he had just woken up.  
“Oh, no one Lokes. You’re here a bit early, dinner is not gonna be done for a while.” Peter said, getting up and kneeling by Loki. “Hey, I have an idea, why don’t you get your suitcase and show me the clothes you bought. If you’re gonna be staying here, you’re gonna need a new wardrobe. I need to evaluate what you’ve got and see if it's up to standard.” And with that, he took Loki’s hand and led him back to the bedroom.

“He is not staying here.” Clint simply said. “I mean, half of us don’t even live here.” He wasn’t as angry as he was earlier. He just seemed frustrated now.   
Between the 5 years since the blip and now, some of the avengers moved into the compound. Most of them lived in New York anyway and after everything that went down with Thanos, some solidarity and stability in living together was welcome. There were some people who didn’t live there though. Clint was still living with his family and Peter was still living with his aunt, although he planned to move to the compound soon as he was now in his early 20s. Hulk had moved to the compound as it easily accommodated his hulk size, Scott had moved as his little Cassie was an adult now and no longer needed him living with her. Hope had too much on her mind to move in with him at the moment, but they were definitely still going out, despite it being kinda on-and-off. Bucky and Sam wanted to live within close quarters of each other, originally since they were both trying to process losing Cap (despite him not being dead) but it turned into just enjoying each other’s company. Rhodey felt living at the compound brought him closer to his past friend, Tony. Pepper, on the other hand, couldn’t see it in the same way and decided not to move. Of course, Thor and Captain Marvel weren’t living there as both were in space. No one knew where Wanda was.

“I don’t see why he can’t move in. I mean, Peter is planning to move in soon and even if not, I’d happily look after the little guy. He’s kinda growing on me.” Bucky said, smiling to himself.   
“And it’s not like he has anywhere else to go. I mean, we saw in that memory thing he doesn’t want to stay in New Asgard. We can’t exactly make a 10 year old homeless.” Sam added.  
“Yeah, yeah. I guess you’re right. I’m done with being proven wrong today. It’s clear I don’t need to be angry at him now. You guys have made that more than clear. I still don’t like him though.” Clint grunted. 

Back in the bedroom, Loki had taken his suitcase out from under his bed and pushed it towards Peter.  
“Alright. Let’s see what’s in here then?” Peter smiled, opening up the suitcase. Inside it was a series of plain t-shirts, a couple pairs of jeans, some underwear and a few hoodies; you’re average kids clothes. They didn’t have much of a variety in New Asgard. Knowing a lot of people were going to return as children, Valkyrie and some other Asgardians had to basically bulk buy a lot of clothes in different sizes, meaning variety in styles wasn’t really an option.   
“From what I’ve heard of you Loki, this doesn’t really seem like your style.” Peter joked.  
Loki shrugged, “Before I died, I liked to wear suits and leather jackets. Hoodies were more of a Thor thing. In New Asgard, they didn’t have much of a variety available.”   
“Well, we’re going to have to fix that, aren’t we?” Peter smiled. “Tomorrow, I’m gonna take you clothes shopping.”   
Loki suddenly looked up and his eyes went wide.  
“You don’t have to do that. I’ve no right to complain about clothes. I’m lucky to be here in the first place. A-and I don’t have enough money to buy a new wardrobe at the moment.”  
Peter only chuckled at him. “My god, Loki. Do you think I’ll expect a 10 year old to buy his own clothes? No, I’ll buy the clothes. Happy will take us.” This didn’t seem to quell Loki’s anxiety. “Hey, Lokes, don’t give me that face. I want to do it. You showed us you have changed, and after going through all that, you at least deserve a new wardrobe. I’m a good guy, remember? Shouldn’t a good guy do good things like this?” Loki couldn’t really argue with that. My god, when did he become so soft. The old Loki wouldn’t have cared who he was exploiting. Child-like innocence, he supposed. He nodded, showing that he would no longer argue.

A ping could be heard and Peter looked down at the source of the noise, his phone. It was a text from Bucky: 'hey pete! didn’t wanna interrupt ya but tell loki dinner’s ready'  
“Hey Loki,” Peter said, looking up from his phone. “Looks like it’s time for dinner. You hungry?” Loki was about to answer but his stomach got there first, growling its answer eagerly. “I guess that’s a yes?” Peter chuckled, while Loki hid his face in his hands, embarrassed. “Come on, little guy. I’m hungry too. Let’s eat.” And with that, he took the little boy’s hand and went to the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Peter are basically Loki's cool uncles by this point and Clint is the grumpy grandpa XD hope you enjoyed this chapter. There are more chapters coming


	6. Culinary Tribulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone sits down to have a nice dinner but after Bruce talks without thinking, Loki can not feel as if he can finish his food  
> TW for eating and past deaths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, Loki cries a lot, doesn't he? I'm glad you guys are enjoying this fic. I'm having lots of fun writing it

When Peter and Loki entered the kitchen, an enticing smell hit their noses. Everyone else was sitting at the dining table, with 2 chairs left empty. Loki, after sitting down, did not recognise the food. Seeing the small god’s confusion, Bucky laughed.  
“It’s shawarma, little man. It’s like a doner kebab. It’s lamb and vegetables in a wrap.” Now knowing what it was, Loki took a bit. Wow. The flavour of this dish was amazing. Why had Loki never eaten it before? He started eating it more eagerly now.  
“Yeah, I remember when Steve told me about it. I never heard of it either. Said they had it right after a battle or something.” Sam smiled, reminiscing.  
“If I remember correctly, we had it after the battle in New York” Bruce added, not realising what he was saying. That is what made Loki stop eating. Everyone but Bruce suddenly became extremely tense  
Quickly Bucky tried to save the situation. “Are you sure you're not remembering it incorrectly?” He asked, his tone of his voice obviously hinting to Bruce the situation at hand. Bruce, however, remained oblivious, as if he didn’t realise the kid in front of him was the same guy who orchestrated the whole thing, albeit under the influence of the mind stone.

“No, no. I remember it clearly. Tony just about got out of the portal. Poor fellow almost died and after I grabbed him and settled him to the ground, he started talking about going to this shawarma place. After the battle was over and everything was sorted, we all went out for Shawarma. It became a tradition after that, especially since Tony died.” Bruce seemed lost in memory. He had only eaten a quarter of his wrap, but Loki could not take another bite. How could he? This food was something they indulged in to escape the trauma Loki had inflicted. This was Tony’s food, the guy Loki threw out a window. Eating this, being part of this tradition was wrong. The lovely taste that laid on his tongue just a few seconds ago now tasted bitter and sickly. He stood up, quickly uttered his thanks for the food and ran from the room. That grabbed Bruce’s attention.  
“I wonder what’s wrong with him?” 

“Oh my god, Bruce!” Sam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You have no social awareness, do you?”  
“What did I say?” He asked, still confused.  
“It doesn’t take a genius, Bruce. Even I could figure it out. You literally said the only reason you guys started eating this was because of the battle of New York, y’know, the one where you fought against Loki!” Scott said, exacerbated.  
“Yeah, how do you think he feels, you bringing up that you ate this originally because you needed to chill after the battle with him when he was the bad guy? Easiest way to alienate him.” Rhodey added.   
“I’m gonna go check on him,” Bucky announced, getting up. He was a fast eater, due to the super-soldier serum, and had already eaten his food.   
“Well, um sorry?” Bruce said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

When Bucky found Loki, he was wrapped under the covers, sniffling.   
He knocked on the open door and walked in.   
“Hey, um, you didn’t eat much of the food,” Bucky said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
“Not hungry.” Is all Loki mumbled out.  
“Well, you arrived this morning and I haven’t seen you eat since you got here, and if you’re anything like Thor, then I can bet you can eat more than just a quarter of a wrap.” Bucky replied, softly, voice laced with concern.  
“Not hungry” Loki repeated. He was refusing to look at Bucky, his face hidden by the covers. Bucky could only guess what the little fellow was thinking.  
“Y’know, I used to know Steve, or Captain America as you know him, back in the 40s when we were both serving the military.” Bucky started. Loki was confused as to why Bucky decided to suddenly recount this anecdote. He did not move from his position though. Before Bucky continued, he budged closer to Loki.  
“Yeah, he saved me from this experiment after he got his super-soldier serum. So I was on this mission with him and, get this, I fell off the side of a moving train down a cliff.” That is what made Loki sit up and look at Bucky. The boy’s eyes were puffy and red, and tear marks were staining his cheeks. Bucky didn’t comment about it.  
“Yeah, he thought I was dead. But no, I had some soldier serum in me from when I was being experimented on and I was found by a really bad group of people. They brainwashed me and put me in a cryo-freezer thing so that I could be used in the future. I was unfrozen around and used as an assassin. When I found Steve again, I beat the sh- I mean, the dickens out of him. I also kinda killed a lot of people. I remember all of it. But look at me, I’m an avenger now.” While Bucky was talking, Loki had been edging closer to the winter soldier, making said soldier smile.

“What I’m trying to say is that like you in New York, I did a lot of bad things while under the influence of someone else. I’m not that same person now. Yeah, you made some mistakes when you didn’t have the mind stone, but I’m pretty sure dying to save your brother is good enough justice, especially since you didn’t know you were going to come back. Basically, if I can move past the actions of my past, so can you. You don’t need to run away from dinner, Loki. You’re forgiven.”

Loki couldn’t hold it in anymore. He burst into tears and flung himself to the man beside him, burrowing his face as deep into the soldier’s chest that he could. Bucky just sat there and stoked the young boy’s back, letting him cry it all out.  
“I know you feel bad because of Tony. You did a number on him in New York and the Shawarma is his food. But, y’know, if Tony was here right now, he would tell you it’s fine. He forgave me and I did something even worse to him, so, if he knew what we know about you, he would sit you down, pat you on the head and tell you that everything is fine.” This only seemed to make Loki cry harder.

“Although, if the food brings up bad memories, don’t worry. You don’t have to eat it. There’s plenty of other types of food in the world. There’s hamburgers or sandwiches…. Or pizza”  
At the mention of non-shawarma food, Loki’s stomach growled again, obviously nowhere near satisfied with the little food that he ate.  
“See, I knew you were still hungry. How about if I ordered a large pizza and we just sat in here and watched TV? Does that sound like a good idea? I know I can still eat.”  
Loki let out a weak chuckle at Bucky’s words and nodded his head, slowly letting go of the man, wiping his eyes and looking up at the man he was using as a comforter.  
“C-can we get extra-large?” Loki asked, timidly. Bucky just smiled and replied: “Sure.”

Sam had just gotten a text from Bucky, explaining the Loki situation. Scott was currently washing the dishes and everyone else was just lazing around the kitchen.  
“Alright” Sam started, “Loki and Bucky are gonna stay in his room for a while. They’ve ordered Pizza. I don’t want to make the kid uncomfortable so I think it best if we just leave them be. We still need to contact Thor though, explain to him what’s going on.”

“Why don’t we call him now? Thor’s a fast guy. Pretty sure he has that bi-frost thing built into his axe. He can get here in a jiffy, although he is currently on a ship which means he might not be able to just teleport here unless he wants to break it. Either way, Thor will be pretty quick so even if Loki can’t speak to him just yet, he’ll be able to see him soon enough.” Rhodey suggested.   
“Yeah. If Loki is kinda emotional right now, crying over the phone is just gonna make Thor even more stressed than he already will be. Waiting for them to speak face-to-face seems like a much better option.” Clint added. His antagonism for Loki had all since gone by now. He really had no reason to be mean to him now, especially seeing how hard Loki’s guilt was affecting the little god.  
“Alright then, let's go to the communications room and make the call,” Sam said and started walking to said location, everyone following behind, apart from Scott  
“Wait, guys! Just let me dry my hands real quick.” He quickly took a towel, dried his hands as fast as he could, and ran after the others, wanting to talk to the God of Thunder as much as everybody else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any thoughts on this fic, please leave them in the comments. I love reading you're guys' opinions on my story! They really help me improve my writing!


	7. A Much Needed Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor is finally made aware of what is going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry there was no chapter yesterday. I was really busy with stuff and didn't have the chance to update. And sorry that it is so late today, again, I was busy. I hope you all enjoy this chapter

Everyone aside from Bucky and Loki were in the communications room standing in front of a wall-sized screen with many controls in front of it. Sam entered the details of Thor’s ship and sent out a communication broadcast. They were now just waiting for Thor to pick up. It took a few moments, but soon, the broadcast was received. It was Starlord, however who answered.  
“Hey guys! It’s been, like, forever since we last spoke! How’s it going?” He greeted,   
“Quill, who ya talking too? We’re in the middle of an asteroid zone!” Rocket’s grouchy voice emanated from the room, just off camera. It was Clint who spoke up.  
“Hey, um, can you get Thor on the phone, we have some important news for him.” Quill passed the message on and soon Thor was standing where Quill was. Thor has cut his hair short again, finding it easier to fight without his hair in his face, despite how emotional he was when his hair was first cut off in Sakaar. He had lost most of the weight, but of course, being with the guardians, work out routines weren’t the most important thing and so he still held some small pudge, having something more akin to a 4-pack than an 8-pack. He seemed incredibly happy to see his avenger friends once again, smiling from ear-to-ear.

“Friends! How are you faring! I hope Earth is treating you well! Space has been treating me just fine! Sorry I haven’t come to visit, but you know how it is, saving the galaxy and whatnot.” He chuckled.  
“Yeah about that.” Rhodey started. “You, uh, might need to come back soon. We have some news.” Thor looked confused but his smile did not yet leave his face.   
“Whatever do you mean?” Thor asked.  
“Have you spoken to Valkyrie recently?” Sam asked, trying to wean the Asgardian into the news instead of just dropping it on him.  
“No, sadly I haven’t. New Asgard hasn’t got the technological capabilities to contact me, as far as I am aware. Valkyrie agreed that if she needed me, she would contact via you guys until the technology was put in place.” Thor answered.  
Peter spoke up next. “The news we have for you, Thor, isn’t bad, per say, it is just really important. You see, a certain someone told us that you space Viking people have a form of regeneration, in a sense.” Thor was incredibly confused until realisation dropped on his face, causing the smile to disappear, replaced with shock.  
“The, uh, the cycle of Ragnarok. Yes, we were taught it at school. Although, by the time I was born, my parents were exempt from it, using all their cycles up. But that means..” The smile on Thor’s face lifted yet again.  
“IT MEANS THEY’RE ALIVE! All those lost souls killed by Thanos’ hands. They- they’re back!” 

Thor grabbed the nearest person next to him, which happened to be Quill, and lifted him up into the air!  
“Alright, Big Guy, you, uh you can let me down now.” Thor obliged.  
“But, you see, there is a certain someone who came here. If what he showed us was true, he was the last to be reincarnated, but he is here in the compound with us.” Scott said, hyping up the surprise. Thor’s smile dropped again. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. I mean, he was a different species, after all, how could he be reincarnated. However, through adoption, he was made an Asgardian, meaning it was possible.  
“You don’t mean?” Thor asked, unable to finish.  
Before anyone could answer, the door suddenly opened, a certain young child running into the room, an exacerbated Bucky trailing behind.  
“Brother!” The young boy shouted, getting himself as close to the screen as possible, tears streaming down his face. Clint gave Bucky a sharp look as if asking: What is he doing here? Bucky answered with a look saying: I tried. It turns out that Scott had sent a message to Bucky saying what they were doing, and as soon as Bucky relayed this information to Loki, who was in the middle of eating some pizza, he immediately sprinted from the room, trying to find the communications room in order to speak to his brother.

“Loki? Is that you? I don't remember you being a child. Well, of course I remember you as a child, but not recently.” Thor asked, tears now streaming down his face as well at seeing his brother, but thoroughly shocked at said brother's appearence.  
“Yes, Brother! It is me! Oh, how I missed you! Valkyrie told me where you went. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” Loki cried.  
“Oh, Loki! I’m so glad you’re okay. It has been 10 years since I last saw your face, although now, said face is now looking a little different.” Thor chuckled through his tears.  
“That’s the thing brother. My soul took forever to reincarnate. Due to being 10 years since my death, I was reincarnated as a boy of 10 years. I’m so sorry for leaving you! I didn’t mean to make you sad, make you grieve. I promise I didn’t fake my death this time! I didn’t even know that I would come back! I hope you’re not upset.” Loki replied  
“Oh, my dear Loki. Of course I’m not upset! My brother is alive and well. I hope you’re not up to any mischief.” Thor joked, still crying.   
“No, Brother! I’m trying to be good. Just like you! I proved to the Avengers that I want to help them! I’m going to make you proud!” Loki was in full hysterics now. “Please, come home brother! I miss you!” 

“Okay, little man. I think you need a little break. You’ll make yourself ill if you cry like this.” Bucky said, picking the boy up. “The guys probably need to talk to Thor alone. Besides, you still need to finish that pizza.” And with that, Bucky left the room with Loki, Peter not far behind, wanting to help calm the boy down. 

“Sorry about that, Thor. He’s been getting emotional a lot lately.” Clint said to Thor.  
“I can’t think why,” Scott replied sarcastically. Before the two could get into an argument, however, Sam started to explain to Thor what had happened with Loki. He went into a lot of detail, telling him what happened when he arrived, the arguments, Loki sharing his memories, what happened at dinner, not leaving anything out. He thought it important that Thor knew everything. When he finished, Thor looked lost in thought. It was around a minute before Thor spoke.  
“My brother has always been troubled. I am somewhat to blame for that, pushing him to the side as we grew up, always underestimating him. However, I promise to not let that tragedy that occurred to our relationship happen again. Fate has given me a chance to start again and I will not let this chance go to waste. I can not come home immediately. I cannot leave my teammates. We are on a very important mission, so important that I can not disclose details. Once I get a chance, I will come home and see my young brother. I miss him as much as he probably misses me. In the meantime, I can see that he is well-taken care of. I can’t say when I can return but when I do, I assure you, it will be via Bifrost, allowing me to come as hastily as I can. Friends, take care of Loki for me.” Thor then hung up.

“You hear that Clint? No more arguments with the boy.” Scott mocked.  
“I swear to god, Tiny, the next time you go small, I’m stomping on you.” Clint gruffed.   
“Hey, guys, I’ve got an idea!” Bruce announced, a smile appearing on his face.  
“Yeah, what is it, Bruce?” Rhodey asked as the whole group exited the room.  
“Well, we’ve got no missions to go on and we’ve got a kid on our hands, not to mention it’s evening. Why don’t we have a movie night?” He seemed really proud of the idea.  
“I like the way you think, Big Green,” Scott replied, slapping his hand on said man’s back, eager for a movie night.  
“A movie night?” Rhodey asked, not sure if he heard right.  
“Yeah, I mean, Peter has them all the time. If Thor isn’t gonna be back for a while, we need to keep the kid happy somehow. What he needs right now is support and stability after all he’s been through. Besides, I think we could all do with a bit of relaxation.” 

After thinking about it for a few moments, nearly everyone had agreed, either nodding or saying something along the lines of: yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Everyone except Clint, who merely grunted in an affirmative manner, not wanting anyone to catch onto the idea that a movie night sounded so good right now, especially if he got to get drunk while watching. He used to do movie nights all the time. Most of his kids had grown out of it though. He quickly rang his wife and asked her to come round. There was no way he was going to watch a movie with the kid if he didn’t have his wife to get drunk with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this a part-domestic fic? Why yes, yes it is :)

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, so much crying in just the first chapter. What can I say? Kids are emotional. Loki is around 10-ish by the way. I'm gonna include Dr Doom soon, as just a cameo. Not movie Dr Doom so don't worry. Won't be in the story much, although might be more important later on. I'm not sure. My bro wants me to include him. Anyway, tell me your thoughts.


End file.
